Weather of 2022

The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2022. The year began with a La Niña. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. The deadliest weather event of the year was the European heat waves, which killed over 26,000 people, 11,000 of which were in France. The costliest weather event of the year was Hurricane Ian, which caused at least $112.9 billion in damages in Florida and Cuba. Another significant weather event was the Pakistan floods, which killed 1,739 people and a total of $14.9 billion in damages.

The 18 weather/climate disaster events in the United States with losses exceeding $1 billion in 2022
Temperatures in Europe from July 17 to 23, showing temperatures upwards of 40 °C (104 °F).

Deadliest events

Deadliest meteorological events during 2022
Rank Event Date(s) Deaths (+Missing) Refs
1 European heat waves June 12–September 12 26,300+
2 Pakistan floods June 14–October 1,739
3 Afghanistan floods May—August 670
4 Nigeria floods May—October 612
5 KwaZulu-Natal floods April 8–21 435
6 Petrópolis floods February 15 231
7 Tropical Storm Megi April 8–12 214 (+132 missing)
8 Kinshasa floods December 12–13 169
9 Tropical Storm Nalgae October 26–November 3 160 (+29 missing)
10 Hurricane Ian September 23–October 2 159


Types

Cold snaps and winter storms

On January 8, a snowstorm in Pakistan caused 23 deaths.

Two significant winter storms affected North America at the beginning of the year, one in the middle of January that killed five and one in early February that killed eight.

Southern Ontario saw the second snowiest day during the January storm, with schools and airports shutting down. The storm also spawned a brief EF2 tornado, causing several injuries and significant damage in Iona, Florida.

2 feet (0.61 m) of snow fell near Colorado Springs, Colorado during the February winter storm, which also produced several tornadoes, one of which caused a death. As the storm passed, the temperature dropped dramatically in places such as New York City.

Less significant events also occurred throughout the winter. On January 3–4, a winter storm caused five deaths, and a 24 hour-long-traffic jam on Interstate 95 in Virginia. On January 22, Canaan, West Virginia set a new all-time record low. The cold wave behind it results in five deaths. On January 21, a winter storm killed one person in North Carolina when an ambulance slid off the road. A late January blizzard dumps massive snowfall, especially over Boston, and results in four deaths on Long Island. In late February, a winter storm kills two people: one each in Tennessee and Kentucky. On March 28, during a record breaking cold snap, a snow squall on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania causes six deaths. Another blizzard occurred in mid April, causing one death in North Dakota.

Heat waves and droughts

Temperatures reached record-breaking highs when they were reported at 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) in Onslow, Western Australia, 114 °F (46 °C) in Phoenix, Arizona, 116 °F (47 °C) in Sacramento. China experienced the worst heat wave in world history during the summer of 2022. Heat waves in India and Pakistan in the spring caused 90 deaths. North America also had significant heat waves, which caused 19 deaths in July alone. Both July and August saw the warmest daily minimums on record in the United States. The heat wave in California in September nearly broke the power grid. In Japan, June saw record-breaking temperatures, with the 40 °C (104 °F) threshold beating the previous record set in 2011. Heat waves in Europe cause 11,000 deaths in France alone. In Antarctica, rain fell on part of the continent, and one province set a monthly record high of 5.6 °C (42.1 °F).

Summer in the United States featured a long-lasting heat wave, which led to 117 deaths and $9.3 billion in damage. October 2022 was the hottest on record for Washington State.

Tornadoes

During 2022, 27 tornadoes were rated F3/EF3 or higher, with four of those receiving a rating of EF4; twenty EF3 tornadoes and four EF4 tornadoes occurred in the United States, one EF3 occurred in China, one F3 occurred in Ukraine and one F3/EF3/T6 occurred in France and Belgium. The strongest tornado of 2022 impacted Pembroke and Black Creek in Georgia at EF4 intensity, with winds estimated at 185 miles per hour (298 km/h).

Worldwide, 33 tornado-related deaths have been confirmed: 24 in the United States, three in China, two each in Poland and Russia, and one each in the Netherlands and Ukraine.[citation needed]

The Observed Thunderstorm Hours across the United States in 2022

The first tornadic fatality of the year occurred on February 3, when an EF2 tornado struck Sawyerville, Alabama, killing one person. A tornado outbreak occurred in Poland with at least 11 tornadoes on February 17, resulting in 2 fatalities and 5 injuries. 6 of the 11 tornadoes have been rated F2.

March saw a record number of tornadoes and 3 major outbreaks: 5-7, 21-23, and 29-31. The first tornado outbreak, despite being the smallest, is the deadliest tornado outbreak of 2022, causing 7 deaths of which six were in a low-end EF4 tornado that also caused 5 injuries and $220 million. The next tornado outbreak caused 3 deaths, plus 3 due to flash flooding in Alabama and one indirect death due to the 2022 New Orleans tornado. This EF3 tornado causes direct and indirect death, at least two injuries, and $32.5 million in damage, as well as 16,000 power outages. The final tornado outbreak is the largest, causing 90 tornadoes. It also causes 3 fatalities. An EF3 tornado in Florida early on March 31 caused two fatalities. Total damage from the storm reached $1.3 billion.

In April, tornadic activity died down a bit, but still featured a tornado outbreak of 87 tornadoes early in the month. That outbreak caused a tornadic death due to an EF4 tornado in Georgia. A storm complex in mid-April also results in a large tornado outbreak, but without fatalities. An EF3 tornado in Texas caused 23 injuries and $100,000 in damage. On April 29, an EF3 tornado near Andover, Kansas caused $41.5 million.

Tornadic activity slowed significantly after April. However, a significant tornado outbreak did occur across the US and Canada in mid to late May. This included an EF3 tornado in Gaylord, Michigan that caused 2 deaths, 44 injuries and $50.175 million in damage. The storm also helps fuel the May 2022 Canadian derecho that causes 11 deaths. A day before, a European tornado outbreak spawns 9 tornadoes that result in 46 injuries. After that, the next significant outbreak isn't for two months, until July 20. A tornado outbreak in China caused 3 deaths and 26 injuries.

Tropical and subtropical cyclones

On January 5, a tropical disturbance which was designated as 03F formed and was named Cyclone Cody, making it the first system of 2022. Cyclone Tiffany, the second named system of 2022, formed in the Australian region on January 9 and a tropical low designated as 11U formed on January 13, as a second system. On January 20, Tropical Storm Ana formed, which caused 142 deaths and $25 million across Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique due to heavy rainfall and flooding. In the first week of February, Cyclone Batsirai exaggerated Ana's impacts, causing an additional 123 deaths and $190 million in damage. On February 14, Tropical Storm Dumako causes 14 more deaths in Madagascar, On February 23, Cyclone Emnati caused 15 more deaths in Madagascar. In March, Cyclone Gombe causes 72 deaths, with 63 in Mozambique, 7 in Malawi, and two in Madagascar. In the South Pacific in early February, Cyclone Dovi caused over $80 million in damages and 1 death across New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Norfolk Island, and New Zealand. In April, Tropical Storm Megi caused severe flooding that resulted in 214 deaths with 132 still missing. At the same time, Typhoon Malakas became a category 4-equivalent typhoon out to sea.

Extratropical cyclones and European windstorms

On January 10, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service named Storm Diomedes, making it the first European Windstorm of the year. The storm killed 1 person, and 1 person remains missing. 11 days later, on January 21, Storm Elpis formed, 3 people were killed and 18 injured after thousands were trapped by a snowstorm in Turkey. On January 28–30, Storm Malik hit Europe, killing 6 People. 2 people died in the United Kingdom, and 1 person died in Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Over 29 people were killed across Europe when European Windstorms Dudley and Eunice made landfall on February 16–17 (Dudley) and February 18 (Eunice).[better source needed]

Wildfires

The first deadly wildfire of the year was the Boulder County fires, which started in 2021 and finished on January 1, 2022.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, around 10,000 hectares of forest fires are currently burning near the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, releasing radioactive air.

During the year, wildfires have caused at least $260,849,000 (2022 USD) in damage in the United States.

Timeline

This is a timeline of weather events during 2022.

January

In January 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 13 weather-related fatalities and 18 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

  • December 16, 2021 – January 19, 2022 – Floods in Malaysia, locally called Banjir Shah Alam, caused by Tropical Depression 29W, killed 54 people with two missing and caused over $4.77 billion (2021 USD).
  • December 24, 2021 – January 6, 2022 – Tropical Cyclone Seth killed two people and caused severe flooding in southeastern Queensland.
  • December 30, 2021 – January 1, 2022 – Grass fires in Boulder County, Colorado killed one person, left one person missing and injured six others. Wind gusts of 115 miles per hour (185 km/h) were reported and the fire destroyed 1,084 structures and caused $513 million (2022 USD) in damage.
  • December 31, 2021 – January 6, 2022 – Floods in Oman killed at least six people.
  • January 1–4 – A winter storm, unofficially named Winter Storm Frida by The Weather Channel, killed five people, caused 428,000 power outages, and caused damage across the United States and Iceland.
  • January 1–27 – Severe storms and floods in Rwanda killed 15 people and injured 37 others. Seven of the fatalities and 26 of the injuries occurred due to lightning.
  • January 3 – A landslide in China killed four people, injured three others, and left nine missing.
  • January 4 – Floods in Indonesia killed nine people.
  • January 5–13 – Cyclone Cody killed one person and caused over $25 million (2022 USD) in damage across Fiji.
Tropical Storm Ana at landfall in Mozambique on January 24.

February

In February 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 19 weather-related fatalities and 28 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

Aftermath of devastating floods in Petrópolis on February 15.

March

Cyclone Gombe shortly before its landfall in Mozambique on March 10

In March 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 39 weather-related fatalities and 110 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

April

Satellite-based map provided by NASA of the rainfall totals recorded in Southern Africa between April 7–13, 2022

In April 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 20 weather-related fatalities and 72 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

May

GOES-16 Imagery of a derecho going across Ontario

In May 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 26 weather-related fatalities and 110 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

  • 2022 Iraq dust storms
  • May 12 – A derecho in the Midwestern United States caused 5 deaths, 13 injuries and $1.3 billion in damage.
  • May 14 – September 7 - Heat waves in North America kill 117 people and cause $9.3 billion in damage.
  • May 20 - A severe weather and tornado outbreak causes one death and 60 injuries. Eight tornados, of which three were F2 and five F1 touched down. The cities of Lippstadt and Paderborn were struck by F2 tornadoes each.
  • May 20 – An EF3 tornado in Gaylord, Michigan causes 2 deaths and 44 injuries.
  • May 21 – A powerful derecho (thunderstorm and windstorm) struck a swath of Southern Ontario and western Quebec killing 10 people in Ontario and 1 Quebecer who was boating on the Ottawa River. Most of the Ontario deaths were the result of falling trees, including single fatalities in Greater Madawaska, Ottawa, Brampton, North Kawartha, Port Hope, Ganaraska Forest in Clarington, Kitchener and Peterborough with one person killed when a tree hit a trailer at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area south of Cambridge. Winds of 132 km/h were recorded in Kitchener, while winds of 120 km/h were recorded in both Toronto and Ottawa. By Saturday evening, over 500,000 residences in Ontario and 460,000 residences in Quebec were without power due to wind and rain causing numerous trees and electricity poles to fall down. Many buildings, cars, electricity polls and hydro transmission towers across Southern Ontario (including over 800 electricity polls and four hydro transmission towers) and in parts of Quebec were damaged by falling trees and branches or by the fierce winds alone.
  • May 22 – Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in northeastern parts of Bangladesh and in the state of Assam, India, leaving millions stranded and 41 dead.
  • May 28–31 – Hurricane Agatha became the strongest hurricane to make landfall along the Pacific coast of Mexico in the month of May since records began in 1949. On the afternoon of May 30, the hurricane made landfall just west of Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h). Agatha weakened rapidly as it moved inland, and soon dissipated. Heavy rain brought by the storm triggered landslides and flash flooding, killing at least 9 and leaving 6 missing in Oaxaca.

June

Tropical Storm Alex as a potential tropical cyclone while it was over South Florida on June 4

In June 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 101 weather-related fatalities and 60 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

  • June 2–6 – Potential Tropical Cyclone One, which later became Tropical Storm Alex, strikes Cuba and Florida, killing 4 and dumping over a foot of rain. The storm caused at least $104,000 in damage.
  • June 10 – The 2022 Montana floods kill one and cause $29 million, and shut down Yellowstone National Park.
  • June 13–14 – The 2022 Great Lakes Derecho causes severe damage in parts of Indiana and Ohio, particularly in Fort Wayne and Holmes County, leaving more than 400,000 households in the Midwest without power. The derecho produced wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph, and a gust of 98 mph was recorded at Fort Wayne International Airport, breaking the previous record of 91 mph. A heat wave followed, worsening conditions for those without power. Many towns and villages were inaccessible until clean-up work could begin, as a result of fallen trees, power lines and other debris. Much of the damage in Ohio has been attributed to a macroburst. Three confirmed EF1 tornadoes touched down in Ohio, and at least one death occurred as a result of this storm in Indiana.
  • June 14–Present — A series of flash floods in Pakistan killed over 1,100 people.
  • June 19 – A man died due to hypothermia in Maine.
  • June 27 – Japan saw the worst heatwave in 150 years.

July

A map provided by the NWS showing of rainfall totals between July 25 and 30 in Eastern Kentucky.

In July 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 108 weather-related fatalities and 147 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

  • July 3 – The 2022 Marmolada serac collapse, fueled by the European heatwave, kills 11 people and injures 8.
  • July 3–8 Major flooding occurred in New South Wales, Australia. One person was killed and 85,000 were displaced.
  • July 4 – Tropical Storm Colin performs a brown ocean effect by forming inland on South Carolina and killed one man, cancelling July 4 events.
  • July 11 – The city of Paysandú, Uruguay was hit with a squall line with winds of up to 120 km/h. Trees were uprooted, and more than 30,000 residents suffered power outages. A newspaper building, costing about 1.2 million US dollars, was lost, along with several radio antennas. Around a thousand roofs were severely damaged or blown off.
  • July 15 – High winds causing a dust storm on Interstate 90 in Montana lead to a car crash killing 6.
  • July 20 – Heat records tumbled and firefighters faced new blazes as much of Western Europe baked in a gruelling heatwave.
  • July 21 – China endures summer of extreme weather as record rainfall and scorching heat wave cause havoc.
  • July 21 - A girl dies due to a falling tree in a severe thunderstorm in Maine.
  • July 24–26 – Severe floods began in Missouri on July 24, culminating during July 25 and 26, when St. Louis broke its previous 1915 record for the most rainfall in a span of 24 hours. Governor Mike Parson declared a state of emergency on July 26. Over one hundred people were rescued from floods, and two people were killed.
  • July 26 or 27 – A 7-year-old girl dies due to a falling tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, possibly due to flooding in the area throughout July.
  • July 27–28 – Historic flooding occurred in Kentucky, with the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, declaring a state of emergency saying “We are currently experiencing one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky's history.” More than 700 homes were flooded as a result of rainfall 600 percent more than normal. On July 29, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster existed in Kentucky and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides. At least 37 people have been killed with multiple others still missing.

August

A image of the Han River during flooding event around Seoul

In August 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 36 weather-related fatalities and 36 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

  • August 1 – Floods and landslides in the Bugisu and Sebei sub-regions of Eastern Region, Uganda kill at least 10 people.
  • August 4 - A lightning strike outside the White House kills three people and injures another.
  • August 5 - Flash floods in Death Valley National Park resulted in more than 1,000 visitors and park staff stranded. The 1.46 inches (37 mm) of rain there was a record for August.
  • August 7 - Flash flooding around Seoul, South Korea killed 9 people. Some areas of Seoul received rainfall that hadn't been seen in 80 years.
  • August 9 - A thunderstorm knocks down a tree in Georgia, killing 2 people and injuring 3 others.
  • 2022 European drought
  • August 28 – September 6 - Typhoon Hinnamnor, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Henry, kills 12 with 1 missing, and causes $1.21 billion in damage around Taiwan, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, and North Korea.
  • August 29 - Three people die in severe storms in the Midwest. Over 700,000 customers in Michigan lose power. Winds gusted up to 81 miles per hour (130 km/h).
  • August 31 - A hailstorm in Spain resulted in one death and 50 injuries.

September

Hurricane Ian at its peak intensity while approaching Southwest Florida on September 28

In September 2022, the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) documented 38 weather-related fatalities and 40 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States. However, the National Hurricane Center recorded over 150 fatalities during the month from Hurricane Ian, indicating errors in the NCEI fatality totals for the month.

October

In October 2022, the National Centers for Environmental Information documented 3 weather-related fatalities and 7 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

November

In November 2022, the National Centers for Environmental Information documented 18 weather-related fatalities and 396 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.

Hurricane Nicole shortly before its landfall in Eastern Florida early on November 10

December

A powerful winter storm at peak intensity over Canada on December 23
  • December 5 - Utqiagvik, Alaska set a record high for the month of December, at 40 °F (4 °C).
  • December 6–10 - Cyclone Mandous kills nine people across Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
  • December 9–12 - Tropical Storm Pakhar, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Rosal, kills eight people in the province of Tanay, Rizal.
  • December 12–15 - Another devastating tornado outbreak hits the Southern United States. An EF3 tornado strikes the Union Village Apartments in Farmerville, Louisiana. The next day, an EF2 tornado strikes the New Orleans metro and damages some of the areas previously hit by another tornado earlier in the year.
  • December 21–26 — A powerful winter storm, unofficially named Winter Storm Elliott by The Weather Channel, kills at least 100 people, cuts power to over 7.7 million customers, disrupts travel, and sets many record-breaking low temperatures across the United States and Canada, with Casper, Wyoming setting an all-time record low at −42 °F (−41 °C).
  • December 24–25 — A snowstorm in Japan kills 17 people.
  • December 27 - A storm spreads high winds across Oregon, leading to 5 fatalities from 3 crashes.
  • December 31 — Record rainfall sweeps throughout California, and the total rainfall accumulation in San Francisco reaches 5.46 in (13.9 cm), which is the second largest single day total on record. The storms also caused 2 people to die throughout the region.

Space weather

Events in meteorology

  • June 28 – A review elucidates the current state of climate change extreme event attribution science, concluding probabilities and costs-severities of links as well as identifying potential ways for its improvement.
  • July 4 – Scientists report that heatwaves in western Europe are increasing "three-to-four times faster compared to the rest of the northern midlatitudes over the past 42 years" and that certain atmospheric dynamical changes can explain their increase.
  • July 18 – A study shows that climate change-related exceptional marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean Sea during 2015–2019 resulted in widespread mass sealife die-offs in five consecutive years.
  • August 12 — The National Centers for Environmental Information publish a report called Assessing the Global Climate in July 2022, where they state an all-time record cold temperature occurred in Australia during the month. On October 7, 2022, Zack Labe, a climate scientist for the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory released a statement and a climate report from Berkeley Earth on the average monthly temperature, tweeting, “There are still no areas of record cold so far in 2022.” Labe's statement also denied the record cold temperatures in Brazil, reported by the National Institute of Meteorology in May 2022, a month before the official start of winter, was also not record cold temperatures.

See also

Notes


This page was last updated at 2023-07-07 04:42 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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